All About Rally!
What is Rally Obedience?
Rally is a fun sport you can do with your dog to implement some basic skills into a course that you walk at your own pace. Your dog will be in a heel position for the duration of the course and as you walk through it, you’ll go from sign to sign (usually somewhere between 10-20 signs depending on the difficulty level). The signs will ask for various behaviors including, sit, down, 360 degree turns, and stay.
How does Rally scoring work?
In rally you can earn titles either through in person competitions, or by submitting videos to AKC online for their virtual program. You need to earn three legs with a passing score to get a title. You start with 100 points, and will lose points for things like a tight leash, your dog not doing a sign correctly, etc. A passing score is a score of 70. Often, the most challenging part of rally competition is not being able to use food or toys while you’re completing the course.
What our classes will cover
In our foundation class, you will learn all the novice rally signs, work on heeling, start doing coursework, and do some skill builders. As you progress to higher levels of rally classes, teams will work on not using food during coursework, fine tuning our skills to improve your dog's speed and precision for behaviors like- tight sits, quick downs, and engaged heeling. You may also be able to record courses to submit for a rally title online.
Who is this class good for?
Our foundation class is good for anyone who wants to try a fun new sport with their dog using skills that are helpful in real life! If you want to practice heeling, sit, stay, down, and engagement with your dog then this would be a great starting point! Dogs should not be dog or people reactive and need to be comfortable crating or being confined in between turns. Your dog does not need to be a purebred dog for you to enjoy this sport and you don’t need to have any desire to compete. If you just want to work on skills and have fun with your dog, then this is a good class for you!
Example of a virtual rally course recorded for submission for a virtual leg towards a title, compliments of Tailored Dog Training.
Why I like Rally
I have grown to enjoy rally with my own dogs! Initially, I was not the biggest fan because I had a short dog and neither of us had any skills, so I was bending over a lot to lure her. We took some time away from it because of COVID and I tried again with my taller dogs and really began to enjoy it! I wasn’t needing to bend over, we worked on our connection, and have had a blast working on skills and learning to work away from food and toys. I’ve even gone back to rally with my short dog and it’s an entirely different experience now. She knows basic cues so it’s much less bending over, and a lot more fine tuning, and working without food. Our relationship has improved while doing rally because it’s a sport we all enjoy, we are connected during class, and I get a nice satisfied dog who is ready for a nap after using their brain for an hour. I always think of class as “playing rally” to remind myself that we should all be having fun during class and not to take it too seriously! Interested to learn more? Join Livvy's upcoming group class held at the Rescue Ranch! Sign up today!
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